F*cked Up Fairy Tales presents modern retellings of some of the strangest and darkest stories humans have invented. Inspired by sources across the world, “Cosbrarian” Liz Gotauco conjures gossipy animals, homicidal royals, doomed commoners, and shape-shifting beaux—all reckoning with complicated, adult problems that “Disney versions” have sanitized. Gotauco offers insight into the stories’ contested origins, spills deliciously weird details about fairy tale authors, and explores timeless themes that have long tickled the human subconscious, from accidental bestiality and catastrophic marriages to the vexed question of what to do with your murderous lindworm child. Sexy, disturbing, and outrageous, F*cked Up Fairy Tales celebrates the astonishing diversity of the oral tradition, reaffirming our universal love for a story that’s messy as f*ck.